Too Much Television - Jake and Ariel 03

[jpwolf]

Third part of the Jake and Ariel series. Hope you enjoy it.

Too Much Television

That asteroid was getting closer and closer, and Ariel was starting to get a little nervous. If he kept this up, they’d be a flattened bit of teladianium smeared across the crags of a big rock floating silently through the void.

“Don’t you think you should slow down?” she asked.

“Not unless you want that Split back there to catch us.”

“Good point, but that asteroid is making me nervous.”

“Don’t blame me, blame him,” Jake said.

“Oh really? I was under the impression that you were the one who told him to go bugger himself.”

“Only after he told me to bail and give him the Star. You wouldn’t want a Split master, now would you?”

“Point taken.”

“Give me fifty percent port thrust on my command.”

“Affirmative.”

“Affirmative? Since when did you actually start sounding like a computer?”

“In case you’ve forgotten, I AM a computer.”

“Give me that thrust!”

The Black Star lurched to starboard as the port thrusters kicked in. The asteroid was suddenly to their port side and speeding by close enough for her external cams to count the pock marks left by smaller rocks. The Star’s shields grazed the stony surface and an alarm rang out.

“Jacob, the Star just isn’t made for this kind of flying. She’s not a fighter you know.”

“She wouldn’t be cut out for this if she were a normal TS, but we both know that she’s not exactly a stock ship, now don’t we. Pop the aft turret and see if you can back blue eyes off a bit before he starts shooting.”

She sighed. “Activating aft turret.”

* * * * *

The Split pilot frowned, which for his species was a broad grin. That stupid human was going to end up plastered across the face of the asteroid ahead. Hopefully, he would eject his cargo first. If not, Ghil t’Krtt would just have to scan the wreckage to see what might have survived intact. Either way, he should have something worth some credits before the tazura was over and that was all that really mattered.

The flash of particle cannon fire from the ship ahead caught him off guard and his shields took a hit before he could veer starboard. So, this little starfly had teeth! All the more fun for him.

* * * * *

“Did you get him?” Jake asked.

“Yes, I flickered his shields a bit, but he’s still coming.”

“That’s not a problem, I just need more time to think about our next move.”

“Here he comes again!”

Plasma energy splashed across the Star’s shields, making them flicker insanely as another claxon rang out through the ship.

“Kiss my bastu! Old frowny face is loaded with HEPTs! How the hell did a pirate get HEPTs?” Jake yelled.

“Maybe he’s a very good pirate.”

“That’s not helping, Ariel!”

“Just making an observation.”

“Well how about making an observation concerning how we can get rid of him?”

“Oh, so now you want my opinion. I was starting to think you’d forgotten the fact that I have a brain. Figuratively speaking, of course.”

“Okay, since you’re so smart, what would you do?”

Ariel paused. She had spoken without thinking and now he was calling her bluff. She had no idea what to do next. She’d never been shot at before. She scanned her data banks for anything pertaining to combat.

“Well, I’m waiting,” Jake said.

Her data banks were coming up short on combat tactics. Wait, what was that. She furiously scanned backwards. There. That just might work.

“Ever seen the vid of ‘Sedra Lost?’” she asked.

“Yeah, I’ve seen it. What’s that got to do with our current dilemma?”

Another burst of plasma flew by on their starboard side, just barely missing them.

“Remember the scene where Gannon is being chased in the asteroid field?”

“Get on with it Ariel! What are you thinking?”

“Get back to the aft turret and hang onto your bastu!”

The controls went limp in his hands. Ariel was flying the Star now. He didn’t have anything to do here, so he might as well do as she asked. He jumped up and ran down the corridor to the aft turret and strapped himself in.

“Now what?” he asked.

Ariel’s voice spoke through the tinny sounding speaker behind him. “As soon as we get above him, blast away with everything you’ve got.”

“Above…” Jacob nearly choked as the Star suddenly jerked downwards. Ariel had to be daft. He ran the scene she had mentioned in the vid through his mind.

“Ariel, don’t you dare!”

He heard her laugh over the speaker. He clenched his stomach muscles. This was going to hurt.

He slammed forward into his harness as she engaged the upper rear thrusters at full power. The harness felt like it was going to break his ribs. The nose of the ship whipped backwards a full ninety degrees. They were still moving forward, but with the nose stuck straight up and climbing. Ariel could have at least cut the artificial grav before doing this!

There was no more time to think as the Mamba came into sight below him. It was now or never.

The particle cannons screamed as he held the trigger down. There was no point in conserving energy. If he missed now, they’d probably not survive any way. Blue white energy cascaded over the Mamba’s shields in sheets as the particle bolts rained down upon them. The Split’s shields died and the particle bursts continued to rain down, hammering his hull.

With a deafening roar, the atmospheric gases inside the Mamba ignited and exploded. The pirate didn’t even have time to scream.

Ariel’s voice burst from the loudspeaker. “YES!”

Jake was still hanging face down from his harness. “Can you level us out now, or at least cut the grav?”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Ariel?” Jake asked as the ship righted itself and he slumped back into the padding of the gunner’s chair.

“Yes?”

“Remind me to stop giving you vids.”

“Why?”

“Because you watch way too much television.”

[SOTS]

An AI? Watching TV? Never...

I thought they were far too sensible

[X2-Eliah]

Not AI. AS. Artificial Sentience. That is a whole another level.

[SOTS]

lol Ah, my bad. An AI isn't smart enough to watch TV Well, not to understand it at any rate. I think humans have enough trouble as it is